Swati Maliwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP, was subjected to harassment by the personal assistant of party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his official residence, AAP leader Sanjay Singh confirmed to media on Tuesday.

A day after unverified reports suggested she had been assaulted by the said staffer, Singh denounced the incident as “highly condemnable.” He assured that Chief Minister Kejriwal, who has faced criticism from opposition parties such as BJP as well as INDIA ally Congress since the news surfaced, would take strict action.

“A very distressing incident took place yesterday morning. Arvind Kejriwal had called Swati Maliwal for a meeting. She was waiting in the drawing room to meet him when Bibhav Kumar came in and misbehaved with her. After this, Ms Maliwal called the police and told them what happened,” Singh said.

“This is a condemnable incident. Arvind Kejriwal has taken cognisance and has said the strictest possible action should be taken…” Singh told reporters.

“Swati Maliwal has done great work for the people and country, and is one of the party”s oldest and senior-most leaders. We stand with her and will deal with this issue seriously, as per Mr Kejriwal”s order. The AAP does not support such behavior,” he added.

Maliwal, who was Chairperson of the Delhi Commission till she quit to join politics, has not yet commented on the incident.

The National Commission for Women has taken notice of the issue and said it will probe the incident. The women’s body has also demanded an “action-taken” report from the Delhi Police within 72 hours.

Confirming the receipt of distress calls from within Kejriwal”s residence, Delhi Police disclosed that the calls originated from a number registered to Maliwal, but the caller”s identity remained undisclosed.

Maliwal briefly visited the police station in the Civil Lines area, where Kejriwal”s official residence is situated, yet she left without filing a formal complaint.

“At 9.34 am (on Monday), we received a call… the caller said she had been assaulted in the Chief Minister”s residence. After some time, Swati Maliwal came to the police station (but) she left without a complaint,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Delhi North) MK Meena told reporters.

Following the incident, the AAP faced massive backlash on Monday. Virendra Sachdeva, Delhi BJP chief, criticised the party for its delayed response

“Why were they silent for 36 hours? Where was the Chief Minister? A Rajya Sabha MP… that too a woman… was misbehaved with at Mr Kejriwal”s home and you are taking cognisance only now? It is shameful. Action should be taken…” he declared. He also alleged  political pressure had stopped Maliwal from filing a police case.

Arvinder Singh Lovely, who recently joined the BJP from the Congress, condemned the reported mistreatment of Swati Maliwal. “If Swati Maliwal has been treated like this… it is condemnable and shameful. Those who talk about guarantees cannot guarantee women”s safety in their own homes. This raises questions on the administration.”